How to avoid romance scams [Video]

If you’re online trying to find a date this Valentine’s Day, you’re going to want to be careful. “The perpetrators introduce themselves to potential victims and, through the guise of a would-be romance, obtain personal information,” said Benjamin Schrope, director of the New Mexico Securities Department. Romance scammers could be targeting victims on dating apps, professional websites, and even through unsolicited texts. “Scammers can reach out through the telephone, through a voice call, through a text. They pretend as if it’s a mistake,” Schrope said. Romance scammers can target people on social media outlets like Facebook by sending a friend request. Many of these profiles will use photos of other people. Something you can do to make sure the person is real is to do a reverse image search. If the photos pop up on multiple websites or are being advertised, you are probably dealing with a scammer. However, now …